


Blood Red Summer

by TzuChuuTrain



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23628634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TzuChuuTrain/pseuds/TzuChuuTrain
Summary: With the virus outbreak rampaging for months, Tzuyu is the only one left alive.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Blood Red Summer

**Author's Note:**

> The woods sounded peaceful. All I hear is the chirping of distant birds, twigs snapping under hooves of a few deer running, and if I actually focus, the river not far from hear can be heard flowing. The woods was calm, and for a moment, the cabin in which I'm staying in seemed like a tourist paradise.
> 
> I laugh bitterly at the thought while I grip my rifle.
> 
> Because the woods only sounded peaceful. But it never is.
> 
> It's been two years since the virus spread. Twenty five months, to be exact. I counted them all. Well, we used to count our days together. Now it's just me.
> 
> My name is Chou Tzuyu, and I'm the only one alive in this hell on earth.

"Hmm. This seems like a good spot." I told myself as I set my backpack to the ground and grabbed a roll of wire from it. I tied one end of the wire to a trunk of a cut down tree and tied the other one to a full grown tree on the other side. Once I was done there, I checked the wire if it was stretched just right and if it was not too high off the ground; just low enough to make one trip and fall.

I go back to the tree trunk to tie in my portable radio. My last three unused batteries should work for the week. I set it up, so that if ever the wire is cut or torn, the radio will blast music so loud it will be heard from the cabin. It will be my alarm for perimeter breach. Seeing the radio is intact and ready, I move back to the wire in between the trees and covered them with foliage. 

"There. That should do it." I say to myself, rather proudly. I get up and grab my bag and rifle, and head home. 

I enter the cozy cabin and immediately lock the door from the inside. Four locks to keep me locked in and safe. I walk past the living room on my left side and my bedroom on my right. I go straight to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the cabinet. I put my bag on the dining table and my rifle on the side of the kitcheen door.

It's been a week since my last companion has gone, and for the first time ever since the apocalypse began, I was truly alone.

"Oh God..." I fall on my knees and my body uncontrollably shakes on the ground. My tears flowing like raging waters that could refill the river near here should it ever dry up. My voice squeaks, squeals and breaks as I break down.

Faint white figures invade my thoughts as I lie on the floor, like a baby crying being surrounded by adult caretakers. Meant no harm, but they still injected fear in me.

"Get up. Get up! Get the fuck up, Tzuyu!" I yell to myself, punching the wooden floor. 

In these moments of weakness and vulnerability, I remember them. My friends, my allies, family. In times when I would fall down or trip, my best friend Chaeyoung would scurry her way to me and help me up. While laughing her ass off, of course. She was smaller than me despite being my unnie. And in our group, I was the youngest. 

Chaeyoung was the greatest prankster along with Kim Dahyun, the orange-haired girl with eagle eyes. She was our scout, and 90% of our safehouses are located 'cause of her. During our ventures, she was almost mute for not speaking a word to any of us, focused like a bird of prey to find us a safe home.

But when we have the luxury of time for relaxation and peace, Dahyun and Chaeyoung pops off. We called them the DubChaeng duo. Always at each others throats with putting stones in the other's bag and stealing pans and cans of beans. They're messy, but it always makes us smile and laugh despite the miserable situation we're in.

When the pranking goes into full-scale, the duo would recruit allies from the rest of us. Chaeyoung's go-to partner against the eagle is Yoo Jeongyeon, our group's main defense. When it comes to defensive strategies, she's who we look up to. She turns any ordinary house into an impenetrable fortress. She's a good blend of calculating and caring, she knows when someone is working too hard and needs rest, and she doesn't pressure us in our roles. After all, this isn't an office and she isn't a boss. This is simply survival.

But - despite being second oldest - when she is looking for fun, Jeonyeon is more energetic than a five year old on a sugar rush. If she knows it'll be fun and messy, which it always is, she'll join Chaeyoung's "army" without a second thought, and then sets ten plans of mass distraction already in mind.

The only one that can stop her is her wife; Im Nayeon.

Nayeon wants to have fun as well. But unlike Jeongyeon, she knows how to limit herself. She would use back handed tactics by involving innocent bystanders like me, and the Japanese trio Momo, Mina, and Sana. Momo, despite describing herself as fun and childish as well, wouldn't really join in the chaos because she's afraid to overdo it. She'd rather watch and enjoy with her girlfriend, Mina. Mina is quite the opposite of Momo in regards of personality, which is why they suit well with each other. Mina is quiet and reserved. Though not entirely introverted, she's on the shy side of the spectrum, and would prefer to be clinging to Momo's side. Which is cute.

And there's Sana. Sana.. I can say a lot about her. What I've observed in Sana is she's a blend of MiMo's (yeah we have ship name for them, we can be sappy in the end times too, y'know) personalities. She can be quiet and serious when she needs to, and wild and fun when she wants to. I've observed Sana a lot of times. I saw it in her facial features, how her lips curve slightly, how her eyes twinkle, how she catches me looking at her. I would blush and turn away, not knowing why.

As I stood up from the floor I looked into the living room where in the middle stood a long coffee table and a large sofa, with two smaller chairs on each end. I remember Chaeyoung used to prank Jihyo - our acting leader - by putting sand in her shoes. Jihyo didn't like that, no. Not one bit. We enjoyed the fiasco, though. Dahyun even made scoresheets using leaves from trees outside. Jihyo would yell at Chaeyoung and we would rate how loud she got without attracting zombies from the outside. 

It was fun while it lasted. But it didn't last long.

They're gone now.

The living room (how fucking ironic) is now empty, and quiet like a grave. I wipe my tears and take deep breaths to calm myself. Enough with this bullshit, Tzuyu. Sentiment will get you killed.

"Let's get to work." I commanded myself as I headed to the cabin's back door.

-

The nail digs deep into the wooden plank as I hit its head hard with the hammer. Harder than I should, to be honest. My breakdown earlier fueled my adrenaline rush today. Besides, I work better when I'm angry.

I take one more nail place it on the other side of the plank. I hit it and it goes in the wood. I raise my hand and hit it again, harder than the first. It goes completely in, but I hit it still, harder. I hit the wood again and again and again.

"Wow. What did the plank do to you that made you so pissed?" 

Jeongyeon would ask, if she was still here. She would walk behind me, checking my work. She'd sit on a nearby dead tree trunk and and rest for a few minutes by watching all of us do our daily chores.

"Shut up, unnie." I would answer. If she was here.

Make no mistake, she was not bossy. Not the kind that would just watch other people do work. No, Jeongyeon deserves all the rest she could get because she always stays up all night doing the jobs the rest of us should be doing in the morning after.

If we were to equate our work in the cabin's defenses, eight of us would be 3%. Jeongyeon would be 97.

I could see Jeongyeon smiling at me, showing me her appreciation at my work. I did all of it on my own. If she was still here, she'd give me a high five and bribe me with half of her dinner rations so that I would do her job the next day. She would be scolded by her Nayeon, as always.

Nayeon would smack Jeongyeon's shoulder for attempting such a heinous crime of bribing me, the youngest, to do her part. Jeongyeon would just laugh and slap her knee like a dad who cracked the best joke ever. Nayeon would just smile and they would kiss.

If they were here.

But the tree trunk is empty. And the howling of the wind is all I hear. No laughter anywhere. Just silence. Irritating silence. 

I check my wristwatch for the time. 4:45pm. The sun is still up and shining, eacaping the natural blockade made by the branches and leaves of trees. The air The woods still faking its peaceful show. But it will be dark soon. Now that I'm all alone, I have to do everything by myself before nightfall so I could survive the night. And repeat everything tomorrow.

I finish the last of the planks, nailing the last one with one hard swing of the hammer. I drop the blunt item and wipe ny forehead of sweat. 

"Phew. 25 planks. That's something." Despite being tired at spending almost the entire afternoon nailing planks, my job is far from over. 

I carry the planks and walk back to the cabin when I hear a rustling behind me. It came from a distant set of bushes a couple of meters away from the cabin's backyard. I turn to investigate the sound, you can never be too careful these days. I drop the planks except for one, walk slowly towards the rustling. I grab my hammer slowly and I'm a few feet away from the bush now. My grip tightens on my tools, prepared to make it weapons.

The rustling stopped, and out came a squirrel. A scrawny little rodent, holding a pinecone as it scurries away from me. I sighed deeply, calming myself down. 

A twig snapped from my right. Another rustling noice come from there. I turned and gripped on my weapons again. I heard footsteps; heavy, and slow. I'm sure that this is not another squirrel. I knew that the moment I heard groaning and gnashing of teeth as the zombie walked towards me. 

It was ugly, to say the least. It smells terrible too. Well what did I expect? It's dead. It's skin already grey and black and rotting flesh portrudes from holes. It's neck slightly dislocated, so it's head is bent to its left shoulder. It kinda looked like it was looking down on me. It pissed me off. It raised its arm and opened its dislocated jaws, snarling at me.

"Come and get some." I goad the walking dead meat.

I swing the hammer with all I can and aim it right at its skull. The impact was so heavy, I heard the bone crack as the zombie fell on its side.

As it struggled to get up, I kneeled down and hammered its face. It groaned and I hit it again and again. Until it stopped squirming.

"Now that's what I call overkill.." Jeongyeon said to me, walking to me from behind. 

"You look tired, Tzuyu. Why don't you rest? Come with us. It's cozy here." Nayeon's voice flowed into my ears like a lullaby. It was tempting, to close my eyes and just go rest with them. But I know better.

"Shut up, unnie."

"What are you angry about, Tzuyu?" Jeongyeon asked, before fading into the woods.

"You. You left me." I whispered and returned to the cabin.

-

I awoke to the abrupt and stinging noise of static from outside. The trap has been sprung. 

"Shit!"

I rose from the sofa in the living room and quickly grabbed my knife and rifle. Is it a zombie? A deer? No.

It's them.

A few zombies wander this forest. This place is ripe with game and anything they can chew on; deer, beavers, otters, foxes, even wolves are in their menu. And of course the occassional survivors passing by.

Those survivors don't even make it to the cabin I stay in because even though they fight off the few zombies around them, they can't seem to escape them.

There's been a pack here recently. Began roaming a couple of weeks back. This is the first time I've seen a pack of zombies. Sure, we've seen hordes of hundreds upon hundreds of undead, rampaging through everything in their path. But a pack of select few? It was unusual. They were faster, more agile. Unlike other zombies, the ones in this pack can run and jump like actual demons. Also, despite them being brain dead, they acted coherently. 

Like an actually pack of monsters - working together, hunting together, killing together.

There were seven of them last month. When I rechecked last week, they became eight.

And I hate all of them.

I hate how they just keep walking around my cabin knowing I am here, sensing my blood and flesh from afar, yet they do not approach nor attack. I'm thankful, of course, but everytime I see them through the scope of my rifle, or the windows of my house, it feels like they're taunting me.   
Provoking me.  
Goading me.  
Inviting me.

I hate it that they get to do whatever the fuck they want while I'm stuck here, depending on the mercy of this walking graveyard party.

I can only hunt in the morning, but it's tricky to hunt with a knife and a few wires because I can't use my rifle everyday or else it will attract the horde. And the cabin I'm in doesn't have a bow and arrow. Nor can I make one. So I have to stick with close-range hunting.

But I can't think about hunting right now because I need to focus on my defenses. Because they're coming closer.

I hurry to the window to look out for the source of the scurrying. I need to try and track where they are running.

The protable radio died out now. The scurrying of the bushes keeps speeding in and out of my earshot. The sounds were distant, but it was near enough to be a threat. I look around and the noises become more frequent, more violent. 

I still see nothing and I can't identify what's making the disturbances, but I feel like I'm surrounded. Scouted. Found.

"Ah, shit."

I ran towards the cabin and grab all the planks on the ground. The exhaustion was overrun by adrenaline again and I ran straight inside. My instincts took over and I locked the doors and closed all the windows.

The last time I felt this cornered, we were still together. All nine of us. It was when a horde of zombies was walking in the woods near the cabin. And they walked right into our back yard. Hundreds of them. 

We were terrified. Scared shitless. No way we could've fought all of those things, so we had to be very quiet and very careful.

It was our last day as a group.

It was terrifying. All lights out, all mouths covered to prevent voices from leaking. All of us tense and stiff, not moving a muscle as hundreds of zombies walk around the cabin. All our perimeter traps are spent and there are still too much zombies for the nine of us to handle. One wrong move or hiccup and we're done for.

Which is what happened we decided to move quietly towards the kitchen. A few of the zombies were getting too close to the window by the living room, so we kept our distance. But it was pitch black, and when we were nearing the kitchen door, a loud crashing sound - like a plate breaking into pieces - broke the silence. 

Our fear swelled up in our guts as we stopped moving. We searched for the source of the noise, but it we couldn't see anything. We listened for the zombies outside and it was eerily quiet. I thought maybe the horde has already passed us, but there were so many and so slow. They couldn't have passed us that quickly.

No. They just stopped walking. 

Tension suffocated all of us and we were preparing for what is to come. They definitely heard it. We were all holding weapons to defend ourselves, but I knew we need to run.

The windows suddenly crashed as the zombies break in. They poured out like waves of death and decay.

"RUN!!" Jihyo yelled at us. And we did. We swung our weapons at the undead and headed to the front door. Jeongyeon fired her rifle, our only firearm in our inventory, to thin out the zombies' numbers. But for every one we kill, three more takes its place. 

Hell broke loose that night. It was suddenly too much. We've never fought this much zombies before. All our preparations down the drain and the fear in our guts began to take over us. It was suddenly too much.

"EVERYONE HEAD TO THE CAVE!" Jeongyeon yelled at us. At the far end of the woods lies a small cave that we use as a hideout should the cabin be compromosed. We nod in agreement but we stop when we saw her cocking her rifle and shooting one more zombie.

"What are you doing?! Stop shooting and run!" Jihyo commanded. But Jeongyeon kept on firing, with Nayeon using a machete to any zombie that gets too close to her wife.

"We'll get there attention so you can get to the cave! We'll meet you there!" Nayeon shouted in reply.

"No we are not leaving you!" Dahyun shouted.

"We got this! We'll come back, we promise." Jeongyeon said before shooting another one right in the middle of its eyes. "NOW GO!"

No one argued anymore and we ran to the cave. In the dead of night, we were running for our dear lives. It was really dark, with only the moon as our source of light, and using flashlights or torches will only attract more zombies to us. With Jihyo leading us, right behind her was Mina and Momo, and the rest of us were far behind. 

Dahyun was holding close to Chaeyoung as they ran to follow the others in front of us. I was with Sana, who kept looking back as we heard more gunshots from afar. 

"They'll come back. They promised." I said to reassure Sana. But she slowed down and eventually stopped. 

"Hey, we can't stop now!" I said. "We need to catch up with the others, quick!"

"It's all my fault." She whispered. "I bumped into the cabinet and a plate fell, I feel so stupid -" She choked and stopped herself.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I raise my voice to shake her up. "It's not your fault. Okay? It's not!" 

I hugged her quickly and then spoke, my hands firmly on her shoulders. "We're gonna get through this. Jeongyeon and Nayeon will come back. We're gonna catch up with Jihyo and the others in the cave and we'll be safe in the morning!" At this point I don't know if I'm reassuring her or myself. "Okay?" She sniffles and nods. I hug her again and we begin to run towards the cave. We didn't notice the gunshots had stopped.

We began running again but not long a few straggling zombies caught up with us. Right as we took a turn, a zombie grabbed Sana by the shoulder and attempted to bite. Luckily, my reflexes were fast enough to push it away and jam my knife in its skull. But more came appeared out of the darkness and lunged at us. 

Sana is no damsel in distress, make no mistake. She can take care of herself. But I can see that she is rattled because of what happened, and really got her on edge. Her moves seem to be slower and heavier and she can barely keep her baseball bat up. I stab another one right in the eye, twisting the blade in its socket so its brain churn. They kept coming and my body also has begun to get tired. But I still kept swinging and stabbing, to make sure me and Sana are safe. 

A few minutes have passed and all zombies are down. I was tired. My chest was heaving, my lungs can barely take in air. I look at Sana and she was exhaisted as well, physically and mentally. She looks at me and smiles. Despite what just happened, she gave me a smile of gratitude and I smiled back. She raised her hand and reached out for me, and I reached out to hold hers.

Before our hands touch, a zombie lying on the ground grabbed Sana's leg and dragged her down. She screamed in shock and fear as she fell to the ground.

"SANA!" I yelled as I ran to save her, but another zombie blocked my way. I stabbed it's skull and shoved it away quickly to catch up with Sana. But I was too late. She was already bitten.

Sana was crying and I stopped dead at my tracks when I saw her whimpering helplessly. I look around and saw more zombies approaching towards her. I gripped my knife to cut down that evil thing gnawing its way into Sana's thigh.

"LEAVE ME! GO!" Sana yelled at me. Struck by fear and pain, I dropped the knife. 

My brain was fuzzy, a turmoil of instinct and emotion brewing within. I knew she was right; I had to leave her. I can't save her, not from these kinds of wounds. Even if I take her to the cave, she'd still turn..

But my heart told me not to. It was dishonirable to lesbe your friends behind - and Sana is very dear to me. But at this point, it was too late. I hear her wincing, flinching from the pain.

"T-Tzuyu.. Go, save yourself. It's o-okay." She said, her voice still calm and soothing and oh so beautiful. 

Tears ran down my face as I looked at hers. Her eyes are so beautiful, even with the tears on them. It's like the stars grew tired of the sky and decided to rest in her eyes.

"I-I.." I mumbled as I stood up, ready to run away from her.

"I'm sorry, Tzuyu-ah." She whispered. I looked at her and she smiled.

When the zombie bit the back of her neck and the last of her voice broke out of her throat, Sana was gone. 

And a piece of me died as well.

I ran as fast as I could to the far end of the woods, on the opposite direction of where the horde was walking. When I arrived at the cave, it was empty. My friends were nowhere to be seen.

"Jihyo? Mina? Momo?" I whispered loudly. My eyes were ready to give in to tears, fear reaching my throat. 

"Dahyun? Chaeyoung?!" 

No answer.

"Goddamnit, where are you!?" I whimpered as I dropped on my knees. 

I cried and cried by myself, eventually the exhuastion catching up to me, causing me to pass out. 

When I woke up it was quiet. The sun's rays seeped into the opening of the cave and shone directly into my face. The cave was still empty except for me. I quickly ran to where I last seen Sana, calling out her name. But she was gone. There was no sign of her. No body lying on the ground.

I came back to the cabin to check if anyone was here. They weren't. I searched the kitchen, the rooms, the back yard. Nothing. I looked out into the woods to look for Nayeon and Jeongyeon, but I saw no one. I went to the cave if maybe Jihyo and the others are there but also empty. It would become a routine; head out to the woods then go to the cave, only to return to the cabin empty-handed and alone.

This repeated for a few days. But still nothing. No dead bodies but no one came back either. One day I was on the spot where Nayeon and Jeongyeon separated from us, when I saw something on the ground that I haven't seen on the days before. 

It was Jeongyeon's rifle. This fueled me with adrenaline and hope, thinking they may be out there lost or wounded.

"JEONGYEON!"  
"NAYEON!"

I screamed as I yelled. Screaming is extremely dangerous in this situation but I did not care. I need to find them. But as I ran and ran, I didn't find either of them. Or any of them, at all. 

"JIHYO! MOMO! MINA! DAHYUNNIE!! CHAEYOUNGIE!"

"SANA!!!"

I wailed until my throat got soar. I went back to the cabin, utterly defeated.  
Days turned to weeks and it dawned on me.

I was truly alone.

-

When the flashback ended, my surroundings turned quiet. The banging on the walls and doors stopped. For a moment, I thought they went away. Until she appeared.

"Tzuyu?"

Sana's voice was ever so soothing I swear to God she could've healed this planet with her giggle.

"But you know I can't heal the world, Tzuyu. Right?" She smiles at me as she sat on the sofa. 

"Sana.." I whispered to her. I reached out my hand to touch her face. That face I so missed very much. But she turned away and stood up. Walked a small distance away from me and turned towards the window.

"Tzuyu. You know you can't touch me." She said sternly. I let out a shaky giggle. God I missed her voice.

"What do you mean I can't? You're right here." 

"Right where, exactly? Hmm?" She looks at me with concern and seriousness. It felt weird, her voice is different - it was hers but also not at the same time. This isn't Sana at all.

"You're right, Tzuyu. This isn't me. I'm not real." Her words were like a slap I endured. It stung, but it didn't wake me up just yet.

"W-what do you mean you're not real? You're here. I can hear you. If you just let me touch you-" 

"Tzuyu, stop hurting yourself. Don't do this please. You're losing all what's left of you."

"I'm fine! I'm still sane. I didn't follow Jeongyeon and Nayeon and the others because they are not real. But you are. You keep my sanity intact."

"Tzuyu, the fact that you're talking to me about being sane is proof that you're going insane. I'm already long gone. You know that deep down. So why are you still talking to me?"

I burst into tears when I saw her eyes. It was still her eyes. The same eyes that shone into mine the last time I saw it in the dark. Eyes long gone. I realize that now.

"Because I miss you so much Sana." I say to her phantasm in between sobs. Sana smiles and gives my forehead a kiss.

"I miss you too, Tzuyu."

And I was alone once more.

Ever since all these horrors began, in the face of all the bullshit I have seen, I only asked myself one thing:

"What did I do to deserve this?"

When the zombies broke down the door and windows, I knew I was done for. I can't protect myself from these monsters. I just put my knife and hammer down gently on the kitchen table and I sat on the chair.

I can hear them scuffling the wooden floor and walls as they searched for my scent. Eventually, they all converged on the kitchen and found me. All eight of them.

I smile.

"There you are." I said to them. Disgusting creatures. They all chittered their teeth like freaks high on drugs. They looked at me with dead blood red eyes.

"I've been looking for you guys for weeks." I whispered. "What took you guys so long? Where've you been?"

The chittering went on as they stepped closer towards me.

"Not even an apology? Or a hello, at least?" I'm losing my mind talking to this filth, but I didn't care. Fuck it. Fuck it all. Come what may.

"It's not like I can get mad at you guys. I still love you." I raise my arms wide and open. 

"Come here, guys. Give me a hug."

They all lunged at me. They tore away pieces of me. My skin, my hair, my flesh, my heart, my soul. Blood and memories began to flood onto the cabin floor. My rage seeping out of my bones as they chew on me. I can feel it. All of it. Every nibble, every scratch. They were savoring me. And I was savoring the feeling. The pain was so much I couldn't even scream. Just cry. Cry and bleed and twitch as my body becomes no longer.

Just when my eyes began to close, they stopped eating me. They all moved away a couple of feet from me. Last of my memories washed away with my blood everywhere. I could no longer remember anything. I no longer remember their names or my own. Where I came from or how I came to be. Memories of my life down the drain. Seeping away like blood.

When my eyes turned red, the last drop of my sanity was gone. When I stood up from the floor, groaning and twitching like an aberration, I was no longer Chou Tzuyu. The same way none of them are no longer Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung.

But we are now together. Forever.

**Author's Note:**

> this is a re-post of an old work of mine originally posted in aff. :^) hope you guys enjoy!


End file.
